SERMON “With changing seasons come new beginnings…”
This is the season of advent and it is the season to be jolly: decorating our halls and homes, gathering for delicious dinners and lavish lunches, and trying to use the days of Advent wisely to prepare for Christmas.
This is the season to enjoy the blessing of changing seasons in our lives. We are indeed blessed to have these changing seasons and times during the year: times and seasons that are made to make us stop, take a deep breath, and look with bright new eyes – and look for new beginnings, new ways, new possibilities and new blessings.
“With changing seasons comes new beginnings.” As you entered our beautiful church this afternoon, you walked past a beautiful painting adorning the entre. It is indeed one of the paintings by talented Hanne Stovring, who had a great exhibit here last year at this time. We were fortunate to keep one. It is in the entre and the title is: “With changing seasons come new beginnings.”
As you entered today, you walked past this painting. And the title of the painting is our entry to this season of Advent: that with changing seasons through our year, we are blessed with new beginnings too.
I just read the breathtakingly beautiful Gospel according to John. These first lines of the first chapter of John about light, word, God, hope, truth, and beginnings. This is how the philosophical evangelist John described not only the beginning of Christianity with the birth of Jesus, but even more the very beginning of all beginnings.
New beginnings are good, but they can also be scary.
We do like new beginnings, as they promise us
o new possibilities and blessings,
o new openings and visions,
o second or seventh new chances.
We do like new beginnings as we can leave the old behind,
o the mistakes, the misunderstandings, the misfortunes and the miseries.
We do celebrate the promise of new beginnings in our lives at birth and baptism, at weddings and vows, at promotions and career changes.
We do like beginnings. But we may also be afraid of beginnings for the very same reasons.
We do fear new beginnings as they threaten us with unknown possibilities and challenges. New beginnings forces us to leave behind, what we know, what we cherish, our safety and security, - and new beginnings might bring us even more mistakes, misfortunes, misunderstandings, and misery. Births, Baptisms, weddings, vows, and promotions can be causes of great concern and worry too.
It is a matter of how we cope and embrace the beginnings and seasons of our lives and days.
Some of my absolute favorite Danish Poetry is by Soren Ulrich Thomsen and in his Book “ Det værste og det bedste.” The worst and the best. It consists of 21 poems each describing the very best and the very worst in life.
The worst is
to lose faith even before a new day begins.
The best is
that even on the worst days, I am curious about tomorrow.
The worst is
phones ringing at night so your blood stops and goes the other way around
The best is
that is wasn’t cancer after all
The worst is
that revenge isn’t that sweet after all
The best was
my mother’s warm loving hand on my neck
The worst is
to be embraced by people you do not know
The best is
when you just manage to endure the frantic beating of your heart and then sigh of relief.
The worst is
that everything can happen
The best is
that everything can happen
And the last poem ends:
The best is that all along there has always been a little more of the best than of the worst
The best is finally to give in and suddenly feel that everything begins. That is the best to me.
Our lives and days are lived between the worst and the best. Our lives and days are constant confrontations with new beginnings as promises or threats. It is all about, how we embrace life’s changes, choices, challenges, coincidences, and chances. Do we embrace life, beginnings, and our days with hope or with fear?
John Lennon, the magnificent Beatle, who wrote about trying to imagine a world without hate and war once said:
“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. …..Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life. ~ John Lennon
“With new seasons come new beginnings.”
As we embark into the season of Advent and Christmas, let us embark with hope and joy and love. Let us try to leave fear and anxiety behind us. Let us begin this new season with light and hope. Believing in the words of John that darkness that cannot overcome the light.
Life is not easy. But as the poet said: “The best is finally to give in and suddenly feel that everything begins. “
Let us give in to the season of Advent. Let us give in to the beginning of a joyful season with joyful hopeful hearts.
Any change, any transformation, any hope begins with how we embrace beginnings.
We have all seen better days, but we have also seen worse.
We do not have everything that we want, but we do have all that we need.
We woke up with some aches and pains, but we woke up.
Our lives may not be perfect, but we are blessed to be alive.
With changing seasons come new beginnings. Let us embrace the time, the seasons, and the beginnings.
Amen.